Texas has fallen out of polls and off of many lists for Big 12 contenders, but as history has shown us, the Longhorns will always have a chance against Nebraska. The cross-divisional rivalry held the final chapter on Saturday, and Texas gets the last laugh. Again.

Around Lincoln, this was expected to be a revenge game. Getting Texas back for a Big 12 Championship the Huskers believe was taken from them. Students wore shirts that read "REDemption" and had an image of ":01" to represent the one second placed back on the clock for Texas to kick the game winning field goal. But the fifth-ranked Nebraska offense had not seen a defense of Texas' caliber yet this season.

After carving up defenses for an average of 337 rushing yards per game, Nebraska was held to just 125 yards rushing by the swarming Texas defense. Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez has impressed everyone with his ability to burn defenses on the ground, but the true freshman looked overwhelmed and out of place against the Longhorns. After two and a half quarters that only produced 63 yards through the air and a season-low 21 yards on the ground, Martinez was sent to the pine in favor of backup Zac Lee. Lee helped orchestrate a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to pull Nebraska within a touchdown, but Garrett Gilbert and the Longhorns were able to hold on for the win.

One thing we did learn is that Nebraska is not as good as we believed. The big numbers and highlights were so impressive, we mistakenly ignored the identity of their opponents. One game does not mean that Nebraska's Big 12 title hopes are trashed, but it did reveal weaknesses that need to fixed before they are exploited again.

Every season, every month, every week, there are several outcomes and achievements that, frankly, nobody operating within reason would ever predict. Who could have predicted Nebraska would beat Florida for the 1995 title by 38 points, or that Boise State would pull off three late trick plays to knock off Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, or that Les Miles would look like the endgame genius against Urban Meyer and Florida? Nobody... until now. We're going to try capture that lightning in a bottle by making similarly absurd predictions every week. Are they at all likely to come true? No. Do we even believe the words we're writing? No. But if we make even one correct call on these, we will never stop gloating. Ever.

Highly Unlikely

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore sprains his knee when he trips while running onto the field during pregame ceremonies, and all of a sudden, the Broncos must face San Jose State with a brand new quarterback. Boise coach Chris Peterson blames San Jose State and their groundskeeping for the mishap, and feeling untold amounts of shame, SJSU coach Mike MacIntyre forfeits the game. Moore recovers fully for the Broncos' next game, and Boise's march to a 12-0 regular season continues unabated. -- Adam Jacobi

As the closing seconds count down on the scoreboard at Ross-Ade Stadium, Tim Brewster looks up at it to see the final score: Purdue 37, Minnesota 13. Knowing that these are probably the last few seconds that he'll spend on a sideline COMPETING and FIGHTING with the Gophers, his emotions get the best of him. Danny Hope begins to make his way to midfield to meet the coach, but instead Brewster bursts into tears and sprints off the field. He then hides in a supply room deep within the bowels of the stadium, refusing to come out until eventually Minnesota AD Joel Maturi lures him out by promising he's not going to fire him. Brewster then opens the door and comes out, his face red and blotchy, covered in tears. "Really?" he asks Maturi. "No, you're totally fired," says Maturi before kicking him in the groin. -- Tom Fornelli

Arizona's slide continues after falling to Oregon State despite getting some help from the replay officials. This time, facing Washington State, the home officials give the Wildcats a taste of their own medicine and refuse to replay a game-winning touchdown that was actually an incomplete pass. Mike Stoops has no timeouts, and the Cougars quickly kick the extra point to pick up that elusive first conference win. It is later revealed that the replay official was Washington State alumnus Drew Bledsoe, who emerges from the booth in full Wazzu regalia and facepaint. The Pac-10 finds no fault in this. -- Chip Patterson

Severely Unlikely

With Texas trailing Nebraska 24-7 just before halftime, Mack Brown makes his way over to Colt McCoy who is watching the game from the sidelines. "Listen, I need you to come to the locker room at halftime. Give these boys a pep talk." McCoy agrees, but Brown was lying. Instead Brown locks Garrett Gilbert in a shed -- hey, it's popular in Texas -- and convinces McCoy to put on Gilbert's uniform. McCoy then goes out and leads Texas to a comeback victory, finding James Kirkendoll for the game-winning touchdown with, you guessed it, one second left on the clock. -- Tom Fornelli

Michigan's defense pitches a shut out against Iowa. The Big House rocks as Denard Robinson totals 600 total yards of offense and the Wolverines bounce back from the loss to "Little Brother" with a performance for the ages as the Wolverines reclaim a spot in the Top 25 with a 48-0 win over the Hawkeyes. Adrian Clayborn, struck with grief, eats 400 cheeseburgers on the ride home and gives up on the NFL for a career in the lawn and garden industry. Turns out Clayborn is quite the green thumb. -- Chip Patterson

The Kansas football team shows up to an empty Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. Head coach Turner Gill and his Jayhawks were under the impression that their game would be played on Saturday, and thanks to various elaborate pranks by Kansas State fans, they had no idea that they had been scheduled to play on Thursday night. KSU coaches, upon finding out that Kansas had not appeared for the game, dressed their scout team in KU colors and had them put up token opposition. Somehow, they also had a scout team Turner Gill. The garbage-time touchdown Kansas State allowed to its double agents was a sublime touch. -- Adam Jacobi

Completely Ludicrous

McNeese State trots into Death Valley on Saturday night and shines under the lights. LSU quarterbacks Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson combine for an NCAA-record 11 interceptions, five of which are returned for touchdowns. The other six picks are hideous arm-punts that prevent the Tigers from finding the end zone once. Patrick Peterson returns 4 kick offs for touchdowns, but LSU falls 35-28. -- Chip Patterson

Emboldened by reports that he was coaching with his job on the line, Tim Brewster leads his team to an emotional 35-34 victory over a frisky Purdue squad... then rips off five more wins to finish the season, culminating in a 55-0 revenge win over Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Hawkeyes at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota's 7-5 (6-2) record and a host of other conference losses among the rest of the Big Ten vault the Gophers into the Rose Bowl, making them the first five-loss team to earn a trip to Pasadena. A month before the game, Brewster announces that he's leaving the Gophers to coach his beloved Texas Longhorns; Mack Brown has retired, as expected, but the program was stunned when defensive coordinator (and presumptive next head coach) Will Muschamp pulled a simultaneous "sympathy retirement." The Gophers hire Mike Leach on the spot, and the new Pirate Gophers stun Oregon on January 1st, 45-31. -- Adam Jacobi

There's nothing out of the ordinary taking place in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night. It's early in the fourth quarter and the Alabama Crimson Tide have a healthy 24-6 lead over the Rebels, but then suddenly a bright, white light can be seen in the sky. Those who notice it assume that it's a comet or meteor passing by the planet, but it keeps getting bigger and bigger before everyone suddenly realizes it's coming right for them. As it gets closer, it becomes clear that it is some kind of UFO, in fact, the space ship actually looks like a piece of fried calamari. It lands at the 50-yard line, and out comes Admiral Ackbar. Knowing immediately what's taking place, the new Ole Miss mascot makes a break for it before he is apprehended by members of the Rebel Alliance. The Rebel Alliance then holds a trial on the field, determining whether or not the Bear shall live. This does not please Nick Saban. After a few minutes Saban walks briskly up to Admiral Ackbar, takes his gun, and executes the Bear himself before saying, "There. NOW GET THE HELL OFF OF MY FIELD." Ackbar and his soldiers sheepishly retreat to their ship and take off. Not even the Rebel Alliance wants to mess with Nick Saban. -- Tom Fornelli

Mack Brown has done nothing to deserve a forced retirement, the frustations of 3-2 start do not erase the success of 2008 and 2009 which finished with the Longhorns hanging with Alabama sans Colt McCoy. Brown is well-liked around Texas, and it is thought that he would like to stay at Texas to see quarterback Garrett Gilbert through his senior year. The concern is not with Brown's inability to coach the team, but rather securing Muschamp, the current coach-in-waiting, as the next head man in Austin.

Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman made the point that with Georgia's current woes, it would not be unlikely if they come to call on the Bulldogs Alumnus to lead their team in event of a Mark Richt firing/resignation. Richt, who seems to be on a "lukewarm" seat annually, has largely avoided job security issues in recent years with winning seasons, BCS bowl berths, and national rankings. But with a 1-4 start, the Mark Richt Hot Seat meme is in full effect in Athens. In the event that the job opens, Tramel could see Muschamp as a great fit in Athens.

But it would make perfect sense for Muschamp to go to Georgia job, which is a great job and a great fit for Muschamp. Muschamp, 39, grew up in Rome, Ga., and was a walkon safety at Georgia before entering coaching. Muschamp was a successful defensive coordinator at LSU and Auburn, so his SEC roots run deep.

If Muschamp wants the Texas job, he still could take the Georgia job. Go to Georgia, do well and Texas will come calling when Brown decides to quit. Muschamp is incredibly popular in Texas, which is why some think he should be elevated at Brown’s expense.

Forcing Brown out now becomes less about the current state of Longhorns football, and more about preparing for the future. Texas invested heavily (literally) in Muschamp as the next coach of the Longhorns, and losing him just a few years before Brown's probable retirement would be a devastating loss for the program. Muschamp has turned down head coaching offers in years past, most notably the Tennessee opening this past offseason, but the appeal of coaching your Alma mater is a different threat to Texas.

Of course, Richt still has time to salvage what is left of the season in Athens, or he could very well be given another chance. His .746 winning percentage, two conference titles, and a 7-2 bowl record in nine seasons would be able to protect most coaches in the event of a disaster season. But the expectations are higher at Georgia, and many fans are frustrated with the Bulldogs' inability to contend for a national championship.

But for now all the major players are still employed, and unless something drastic happens in Athens, there is little reason to believe any major moves will be made in Austin.

During their win over Wyoming on Saturday, Texas Longhorns safety Blake Gideon was called for a 15-yard targeting penalty following a big hit he laid on a Wyoming receiver. Now, big hits aren't something new for Gideon, as he seems to pride himself on his ability to separate receivers from the ball. It's not a bad quality to have in a safety either.

"I don't even know what targeting is," Gideon said. "I was trying to hit him, so I guess, yeah, I was targeting him. It's not going to change the way I play. We always talk in the secondary about how we want to establish the middle of the field."

But it's more for the message it sends.

"Other teams are going to turn the tape on and not many receivers are going to want to take that hit," Gideon said of his physical play. "Like I said, I don't know what targeting is. I guess I'd be paying a fine if I was in the NFL today. I don't know if scholarship checks would be able to handle that right now."

So the lesson for Gideon here is to get the hitting in while the hitting is still free, because if you do make it to the NFL one day, it's going to cost you $50,000 just to whisper into a quarterback's ear too loudly.

Gideon's coach doesn't seem like he'll be all that bothered by it, either, as Mack Brown was quick to remind everyone that "a lot of times the best teams have the most penalties." Which is very good news for Lane Kiffin and the USC Trojans. Well, if they were eligible to play in the BCS it would be anyway.

Planning on strolling right up to Reliant Stadium in Houston and waltzing in to see Texas and Rice? Better warm up the couch.

The game will be Garrett Gilbert's first career start, and first time on the field since being called on to replace the injured Colt McCoy in the national championship game against Alabama. Outside of the title game, the sophomore signal caller has never had more than six attempts in a game. This is will be the first chance Longhorn fans have to see how Gilbert will stack up to his quarterback predecessors.

The in-state showdown between the Longhorns and Owls in the home of the Houston Texans was declared a sellout earlier today. Reliant Stadium seats 71,500 for football games and for those curious; the retractable roof will be closed. Pretty impressive for what figures to be far from a nail-biter.